The Induction Phase ended on Friday, March 23, and biopsies showed that “forced remission” from the intense month of chemo had occurred, meaning that less than .01% of leukemia cells were present. This percentage was an important milestone in Eli’s treatment, because it indicated whether or not he was responding to the chemo. If the biopsy showed .01 or higher, there was a possibility that we would need to start looking into alternative therapies. Thankfully, our current course is working, and we can breathe a little more easily going into the next two month phase of Consolidation.
“Remission” can be a confusing word, often associated with “cured.” Within the next three and a half years, we hope to firmly inscribe that word into our story; however, there is still a long road ahead. The next six months promise to be harrowing. We had our first blood transfusion today with multiple ones to come as well as emergency and scheduled hospitalizations, weekly chemo treatments, and daily home medications of pills, injections, and fluids.
This past month has been once of stealthy turbulence. There was a week of intense hair loss—more and more hair being found in the shower, coming off on towels, the pillowcase, clothing…we took the route of a home buzzcut within a few days to make Eli more comfortable. Lysol, hand sanitizer, and antiseptic wipes are readily available in every room in hopes to lower risk of infection. We know sickness will hit at some point, but we try to take every precaution possible.
After today’s transfusion, Eli’s energy bounded back. He stated that he had forgotten what “fresh air smelled like” and for the first time since this all started, sat in the back yard for a while to watch our new puppy play and enjoyed the breeze. Those fleeting glimpses of health give us promise of days ahead. While at the clinic this morning, Phil had noticed a bell with an inscription for children to ring it upon completion of their last treatment. We cannot wait to hear that bell.
bELIeve in hope 